I don’t know what it is with me and lizards or dalam bahasa modernnya, cicak. I would always end up bringing one along with me whenever I drive. Yes, my car is their favourite ride. Out of so many cars at home, they just HAVE TO, HAVE TO choose to hitch a ride in my car. And it’s not just this car that I’m driving now that is posing a problem. Any car that I choose to drive, that would be their preferred choice. It won’t happen if the car is driven by me only occasionally. It’s the car that I always drive. Any model, any colour. They’re so clever.
I would usually notice their presence when the car is stalled. Like, when I get out of the car to take something from the backseat or the boot, I would see the cicak. Or as I’m about to enter the car to drive off, I would see it. Only once, when I was driving to work, I saw from my rearview mirror one lone cicak on my rear windshield. It was on the outside, hanging by a moment, waiting to reach Putrajaya. I was distracted because I could see it every time I look at the mirror but it was still bearable.
The most terrifying moment happened to me just yesterday. I have just left my house for about 5 minutes and was on the highway. I took a left turn and was at the traffic light to turn to Ebor (you know, the always jammed up slope). As I was waiting for my turn to move at the traffic light, I saw a toddler cicak right in front of me, on the meter-speed bar thingy on the dashboard. Moving. Crawling towards the driver’s side door. Slowly but surely moving. I panicked. I wanted to turn back and drive back home but I knew that I probably wouldn’t survive even that short trip home as the cicak could move or jump or do whatever it is that it does in a blink of an eye. So when the light turned green, I slowly turned right and about a minute after, I stopped by Esso, the petrol station right before the exit to Elite.Highway.
Ok so I stopped. But what’s next? I don’t have the courage to remove it or even to look at it! But I had to keep a look out just to see where he intends to go next so that I would know his whereabouts. Nothing is more terrifying than knowing the existence of a cicak in your car but not knowing where it has gone to. It could just pop out of nowhere right! So I had to think quick. I was thinking of hitting it with my shoe but I’m pregnant so I don’t know if I could kill animals. Even if it’s a pesky one, like the cicak. The best thing to do would be to remove it. But how how how?
The petrol station was quite deserted at that time with only one car filling up petrol. And even then the car left as I was contemplating on my next move so asking that seemingly safe and normal Malay guy for help was not an option. I saw one of the workers washing the toilet. (note: the petrol station is the dodgy kind ok) So I walked up to him and asked him to help me remove a cicak from my car. “Boleh tolong buang cicak dalam kereta saya tak?” And then I realized he was most probably a Bangladeshi. He asked “Mau tolak ka?” I think he thought my car has broken down or something. I said “Tak, tak tolong datang kereta saya, saya tunjuk”. At that time, I forgot about my safety, I forgot about so many things. It was not an ideal place but it was the only place before the highway.
The guy didn’t look too please to have to abandon what he was doing to attend to this crazy pregnant lady. I went to the car, peeped inside and saw the cicak on the left passenger door. I opened the door widely and showed him “Itu dia”. I think he still didn’t get what I was asking him to do so I said “tolong buang”. He finally understood, swept the cicak off its feet and it landed on the road. I quickly closed the door, thanked the guy profusely and got into the car. It wasn’t nice. Simply because the guy seemed really serious with not a single smile on his face. I mean, anyone would have laughed off at this chicken of a girl but he seemed really serious. He just nodded when I said thanks.
I know it wasn’t the best thing to do, I should’ve done it myself or I shouldn’t even have stopped at a deserted petrol station in the first place but I really didn’t have a choice. I don’t know which one would be more dangerous. Me, driving precariously with my eyes constantly on the cicak rather than on the road or me, stopping somewhere to get rid of it for a peace of mind. It must be the latter. There was no other way of doing it.
I’m just thankful that nothing happened to me on the road or at the petrol station. I still have a long grudge against cicaks and I will never forgive them for always putting me through so much stress and trouble. Please just stop bothering me. And try making friends with the other family members ok? They’re nice and they can take you places too. Pick any car you like but just not my car. No more. Give me a break. Maybe I’m destined to be with a cicakman. Gosh I love Yusry KRU.
I would usually notice their presence when the car is stalled. Like, when I get out of the car to take something from the backseat or the boot, I would see the cicak. Or as I’m about to enter the car to drive off, I would see it. Only once, when I was driving to work, I saw from my rearview mirror one lone cicak on my rear windshield. It was on the outside, hanging by a moment, waiting to reach Putrajaya. I was distracted because I could see it every time I look at the mirror but it was still bearable.
The most terrifying moment happened to me just yesterday. I have just left my house for about 5 minutes and was on the highway. I took a left turn and was at the traffic light to turn to Ebor (you know, the always jammed up slope). As I was waiting for my turn to move at the traffic light, I saw a toddler cicak right in front of me, on the meter-speed bar thingy on the dashboard. Moving. Crawling towards the driver’s side door. Slowly but surely moving. I panicked. I wanted to turn back and drive back home but I knew that I probably wouldn’t survive even that short trip home as the cicak could move or jump or do whatever it is that it does in a blink of an eye. So when the light turned green, I slowly turned right and about a minute after, I stopped by Esso, the petrol station right before the exit to Elite.Highway.
Ok so I stopped. But what’s next? I don’t have the courage to remove it or even to look at it! But I had to keep a look out just to see where he intends to go next so that I would know his whereabouts. Nothing is more terrifying than knowing the existence of a cicak in your car but not knowing where it has gone to. It could just pop out of nowhere right! So I had to think quick. I was thinking of hitting it with my shoe but I’m pregnant so I don’t know if I could kill animals. Even if it’s a pesky one, like the cicak. The best thing to do would be to remove it. But how how how?
The petrol station was quite deserted at that time with only one car filling up petrol. And even then the car left as I was contemplating on my next move so asking that seemingly safe and normal Malay guy for help was not an option. I saw one of the workers washing the toilet. (note: the petrol station is the dodgy kind ok) So I walked up to him and asked him to help me remove a cicak from my car. “Boleh tolong buang cicak dalam kereta saya tak?” And then I realized he was most probably a Bangladeshi. He asked “Mau tolak ka?” I think he thought my car has broken down or something. I said “Tak, tak tolong datang kereta saya, saya tunjuk”. At that time, I forgot about my safety, I forgot about so many things. It was not an ideal place but it was the only place before the highway.
The guy didn’t look too please to have to abandon what he was doing to attend to this crazy pregnant lady. I went to the car, peeped inside and saw the cicak on the left passenger door. I opened the door widely and showed him “Itu dia”. I think he still didn’t get what I was asking him to do so I said “tolong buang”. He finally understood, swept the cicak off its feet and it landed on the road. I quickly closed the door, thanked the guy profusely and got into the car. It wasn’t nice. Simply because the guy seemed really serious with not a single smile on his face. I mean, anyone would have laughed off at this chicken of a girl but he seemed really serious. He just nodded when I said thanks.
I know it wasn’t the best thing to do, I should’ve done it myself or I shouldn’t even have stopped at a deserted petrol station in the first place but I really didn’t have a choice. I don’t know which one would be more dangerous. Me, driving precariously with my eyes constantly on the cicak rather than on the road or me, stopping somewhere to get rid of it for a peace of mind. It must be the latter. There was no other way of doing it.
I’m just thankful that nothing happened to me on the road or at the petrol station. I still have a long grudge against cicaks and I will never forgive them for always putting me through so much stress and trouble. Please just stop bothering me. And try making friends with the other family members ok? They’re nice and they can take you places too. Pick any car you like but just not my car. No more. Give me a break. Maybe I’m destined to be with a cicakman. Gosh I love Yusry KRU.
2 comments:
it's rather peculiar don't you think? haha.. I don't like being superstitious but a particular grasshopper has been following me for over a year (sometimes I perasan sometimes tak, but my family members ader perasan gak) and just recently I found out that it wasn't just any ordinary grasshopper. it was a org bunian in disguise. haha...
once a lizard was on my windscreen, on the outside.. so i used the wiper to let it off! :P
Post a Comment